A new national body set to provide advice, knowledge and support on photographic collections has been awarded £55,000 in funding from Arts Council England.

The National Media Museum will be part of the Photographic Collections Network steering group. The new body is due to launch in the autumn

The soon-to-be launched Photographic Collections Network will comprise a steering group made up of representatives from organisations including the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, Royal Photographic Society, National Media Museum, and the photography network Redeye.

The Photographic Collections Network will provide ‘research, knowledge exchange, events and advocacy’ to support photographic collections and archives, according to a statement issued by the RPS and the V&A yesterday.

A spokesperson for Arts Council England told AP that it awarded £55,000 to the Photographic Collections Network from its Museums Resilience Fund, which is designed to provide investment for museums nationwide.

Paul Herrmann, director of Redeye and chair of the new body, said: ‘I’ve spent the last two years working on building the Photographic Collections Network and you can imagine I think this is great news for photography in the UK.

‘It will include mapping of collections and research, exchanging knowledge about collections management, and hopefully build wider public knowledge and support for our photographic archives and collections.’

He said there is no link between the new body and the planned transfer of the RPS Collection from the National Media Museum in Bradford to the V&A in London. Discussions first began in 2014, Herrmann explained.

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